Spotlight Series: Two Dads Jordan and Rob

Jordan and Rob: Early on in our relationship, we discussed our shared desire to one day start a family. When we later decided to move forward with adoption, we chose an agency in Vermont called Friends in Adoption. We were drawn to this particular agency since they pride themselves on placing children with loving families of ALL types.

The Next Family: How did you two meet?

Jordan and Rob: The stars aligned the summer of 2009 in Rehoboth Beach, DE. At the time, Jordan was living in Philadelphia and Rob was in central NJ, so fate definitely had to do some considerable intervening to get us at the same place at the same time. We saw each other from across a crowded room and something sparked in both of our hearts. Four years later, we were married, and the rest is fairy tale history.

The Next Family: Did you always want to have kids?

Jordan and Rob: There was never a question. Given that we were both raised in such idyllic family situations, we wanted to expand that network of love by creating our own family unit. We both grew up in homes where every member of the family felt fully supported for exactly who they were—down to every quirk. We are building that same kind of loving family environment for our son, Jackson.

Where do you live?

Jordan and Rob: We live on an 11-acre horse farm in New Jersey that’s halfway between Philadelphia and New York City. Our farm is home to a number of animals—3 horses, 3 barn cats, and 2 Labrador retrievers.

What is the greatest (and the toughest) thing about being a parent?

Jordan and Rob: The greatest thing about being a parent—the fact that we get to call Jackson “ours”. Being a same-sex couple, we traveled quite the long road to becoming parents. Thus, we get the most blissful joy from even the most mundane baby-related tasks. There’s no high like the one we get from hearing him gleefully giggle while we’re changing his diaper. When he sings an undistinguishable tune from the back seat, it’s the always the best song we’ve ever heard.

The toughest thing—beyond the to-be-expected sleepless nights—is adjusting to that tinge of apprehension that surfaces the moment you first hold your newborn baby. You want to do everything right by this child, and you worry that you might mess some things up along the way. But we both try to remind ourselves that as long as our boy knows he is loved unconditionally, all the rest will work itself out.

The Next Family: Does your family feel adversity?

Jordan and Rob: We’re quite lucky to live in an area where the general population is quite accepting of our relationship and our family. We’re surrounded with family and friends who embrace our relationship and shower our son with love and affection. Of course, we recognize that the future may bring potential adversity in the form of bigotry. But knowing we have such a strong foundation of love gives us the certainty that there’s no storm our family can’t weather.

The Next Family: Do you have any advice for LGBTQ youth?

Jordan and Rob: Life is all about balance. For every single person who might denounce you for who you are, there are probably two or more people who will not only accept you but also love you for the person you were born to be. Seek out and surround yourself with those in the latter group. Ignore the former group. It’s only a matter of time before they’re going to fade into complete obscurity.

The Next Family: What’s one life lesson you want to teach your children?